It’s a new year which means it’s time to get the house clean, organized, and in tip-top shape! Our refrigerator is currently low on food, so I thought I’d take advantage of the situation and clean it out. I googled “how to clean your refrigerator” and found this article by Real Simple that promises to “take your refrigerator from filthy to flawless in just 20 minutes”. Fantastic! I love flawless and who doesn’t have 20 minutes? It usually takes me at least an hour to clean the fridge. Let’s try it!
Here is the exterior of my fridge before cleaning. It looks deceptively uh…clean.
And here is the inside view. Hmmmm, not too bad. Or wait…what is that?!
No excuses for this. None.
Okay here are the Real Simple steps to a clean refrigerator in 20 minutes:
Minutes 1 to 2: Unplug the refrigerator. Slide a coil brush underneath the unit’s kick plate (the rectangular panel just above the floor) to remove dust.
I skipped this step. I can’t move my fridge by myself and I don’t own a coil brush. Let’s move on.
Minutes 3 to 7: Empty the contents. Toss anything past its prime into a trash bag. Recycle glass and plastic containers.
I enjoy throwing things out so this step was great and took about five minutes. If it was expired or just looked like it might be, I tossed it.
Minutes 8 to 10: Remove the drawers and place them in the sink. Scrub the drawers with a sponge, warm water, and liquid dish soap. Leave them out to air-dry.
Two minutes to remove the drawers and clean them is waaaaaay optimistic. This step took me at least 40 minutes. My drawers were disgusting though. Maybe if your drawers were spotless you could do this step in two minutes.
I just used dish soap to clean all of the drawers and anything that was removable.
Minutes 11 to 15: Douse the interior with a multisurface spray. Wipe down the walls, then each shelf. (Don’t forget the shelf seams and the rubber door seal.) Use an old toothbrush and a spritz of cleaner to dislodge grime from crevices.
Good advice Real Simple. But four minutes to clean the entire interior? Come on. Anytime you see “an old toothbrush” as part of your cleaning arsenal you KNOW this job is going to take a good 20 minutes or so. I used a solution of water, white vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle with a microfiber cloth and some paper towels to clean the interior. Sigh. Much better!
Minutes 19 to 20: Clean the exterior.
web site says
he first house cleaning task with your fridge that you will to do is to remove all items from it, shelf by shelf. If it’s extremely perishable like chicken, you can put it in the freezer temporarily. This is a great time to throw out all condiments and food items that you have not used in the last three months. The next step is to remove all drawers and side shelves. This will make cleaning the interior much easier. Spray down the fridge down liberally with an all-purpose cleaner and let it soak. While the soap is working its magic, bring the shelves and drawers to the sink. Use a sponge soaked in warm water and soap to scrub them well and then rinse them off with a dry hand towel.
Best regards! Shirley Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
mom taxi julie says
Yeah I’m thinking 20 minutes was a bit optimistic! or someone that does it every other day! I always end up taking my shelves out and taking them apart to get that gross stuff that’s stuck between the glass and the rubber.
Steph @ The Silly Pearl says
Thanks for keepin’ it real! I always see articles like this and get so optimistic, but then it takes me the whole time just to get through the first step and I quit. But stuff like this has got to get done…thanks for the motivation and I’m glad I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t finish in the time the magazines say you can!
Bernadette @b3hd says
I so love these speed cleaning tips from MS. I especially loved the notion that you could clear out your fridge and put everything back in it in a minute. That and replace drawers and wipe down bottles.
Clearly, I am living a prosperous life because I can’t even get a basic weeks’ worth of groceries in my fridge (clean or not) stacked away in under 4 minutes.
Lovely. Fridge looks great! Gotta make sure my hubby doesn’t peek over and see these photos…
B
Chris says
I think we have the same brand refrigerator.
My fridge will also take more than 20 minutes, but your post gave me hope about getting mine clean in the near future.
I also love the “clean your fridge” graphic. That could be my fridge some days!
Kasey says
Well….I was doing good until the phone rang and then I couldn’t get a drawer/shelf back in right, so let’s say
1 1/2 hours! But, it looks great now! Should I do the freezer???
Lauren @ Summit St says
Thanks for the tips! I’ve been working on an organized pantry, myself. Love a fresh, clean start for a New Year! 🙂
Kristin says
Was cautiously optimistic about the title, but as I read, I realized you are just like me! 😉 My fridge looks like that too. I think if you did this every other day or so, it would totally take 20 minutes! However, for us “real” people, an hour should do it, on a good day! :))
Beth @A to Z says
Yes, every other day and 20 minutes sounds about right :).
Traci says
Where on earth did you find this old ad? It is hysterical.
Traci
Beth @A to Z says
I tried to find the original source to no avail. It was under google images search “clean refrigerator” :).
Becki says
LOL! I enjoyed your “play-by-play” of cleaning the fridge. Our wine-in-a-box will drip and then the drawers below get stuck! Makes me crazy! My plan today was to make the 6 pounds of sloppy joes that we serve for a Super Bowl party and have it in the garage freezer! Success! Back to work for me tomorrow.
tomingo says
Nice job..but for a second I thought you were standing in my kitchen…LOL
Paulette says
This is one of the jobs that always takes longer than I think it will. I’ve found that if you soak the drawers in the tub with hot soapy water, all that’s required is a quick rinse. Even ketchup (evil sticky stuff) slides right off after a good soak.The bottom of my fridge always has some kind of science experiment gone wrong. A hot WET towel placed there, while I clean from the top down, helps with the mess. Thanks for the good read, and shall I say, guilt trip?
Valarie says
Thanks for the inspiration! My son goes back to school tomorrow and we’re expecting snow, so tomorrow is CLEANING DAY for me. Def going to tackle the fridge and use these steps. I got a jump start today by packing up all our Christmas decor in a totally organized fashion. I’ve just shoved everything in boxes for the last 20 years, so it was getting ridiculous. I invested in some boxes with ornament dividers and conned my daughter into wrapping all the lights around empty cereal boxes. I just want to stare into all the boxes now!
Happy New Year!
Sarah says
Ha! This is funny 🙂 We had to buy a new fridge about 2 months ago, & I’ve been trying to make it a habit to clean it once a month so it doesn’t get too crazy. Working so far! 🙂
Janet Foster says
When I get another day off my goal is to organize my cabinets. I’m tired of getting hit in the head with spices when I open the cabinet door.
Renee @ Lattenene's Cup of Chat says
Great Tips, thanks Beth. Love this magazine. Oh, did you add in the minutes to stop and take the pictures? LOL!
Beth @A to Z says
Ha! Nope. But the pics aren’t my best so they didn’t take long :). What WON’T a blogger take a pic of?
Colleen says
I just did this over the summer. I did a few things that also might help:
1 ~ I made sure that all the kid food was on the bottom shelf so they could get it themselves. I also pre-cut veggies and fruit so they could have healthy snack options whenever they wanted.
2 ~ I put all the frequently used condiments on the same shelf. This way it made it MUCH easier to get everything I needed on a regular basis within looking thru all the shelves.
3 ~ I made a list of all our “fridge items” this way when I was running low, I could just check the item off on the list and it was easy to take to the store with me to get more.
And yes, my time was no where near 20 minutes…more like an hour and a half, but it’s been looking good since July!
Beth @A to Z says
Fantastic tips Colleen! I like the idea of pre-cut veggies for the kiddos. My boys love carrots and grapes and are good about snacking on them.
Sherry says
Your refridgerator is looking so nice now. Mine looks like your before picture too after the holidays! I guess it is time for me to roll up my sleeves and get cleaning also…
Kathy :) says
HA just did this !!!! I used baking soda and warm water and I do keep a box of baking soda in the fridge and freezer….just makes me feel good 🙂
I had a jar of salsa that I had to tussle with (stuck) and I won….go ME lol
While I cleaned it I was watching the new 2012 Dream Home, I really feel that this is my year…..hubby says “Kathy you say that every year”…….
Have a nice day Beth…….
Kathy 🙂
Michelle Lubbers says
{IF} it really did take only 20 minutes to clean my refrigerator, I would clean it more often–wouldn’t we all?! However, I wait until it is 90 minute dirty and I probably always will.
Beth @A to Z says
Yes, 90 minute dirty was the true motivating factor here. If it only needed 20 minutes I’d ignore it and call it good enough :)!
Jen @ a place 2 call home says
At least it’s clean now! You are so brave! In our meat drawer we have some turkey dog liquid…wow gross. Maybe I’ll clean that soon, and ,maybe be as brave as you and document it! I hope it takes less than an hour!
Beth @A to Z says
Turkey dog liquid sounds scary. I would be avoiding that too!
Victoria says
I guess I should add that to the list of things to do! haha.
Kia @ A View From Here says
Looking lovely.
I’m about to clean and defrost my upright fridge-freezer as we’re about to move house, so this is a post of inspiration to me.
Beth @A to Z says
Good luck on the cleaning and on the move!